The Internet isn't sure how it feels about this clear pumpkin pie

By Sarah Wolfgram
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November 14, 2017 @6:38 AM

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NATIONWIDE — The internet can’t stop talking about clear pumpkin pie.

A fall favorite has received transparent treatment. An image of the pie first appeared on Instagram in late September when Simon Davies, the chef de cuisine at Alinea in Chicago, posted a video of the tiny slice.

“Pumpkin pie for the fall menu. #surrealism”—left much to the imagination. It wasn’t until last week, when Alinea’s founder Grant Achatz shared an image of the pie on his Instagram account, that word of the clear creation really started to spread.

In an interview with Slate, chef Davies explained the phenomena: "The crust and whip cream are both traditional: pate brisée and whipped heavy cream with a little bit of sugar and vanilla. The filling is made from a distillation of cooked pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, clove, and ginger…We distilled the base in a rotary-evaporator. This process boils the liquid at a low temperature under pressure and creates a clear distillate...We have always used distillations on the menu at Alinea. In this case, we were talking about distilling pumpkin for the fall menu and this presentation came to mind. It takes something very familiar but challenges one’s perception of it.”